#trigun... christian... analysis...

[huginsmemory]

Trigun and the 'Bride of Christ'

An additional thought that popped up after my previous post about Triguns heavy themes of Christianity (a somewhat? Part 2?). In this I look at the Vash and Wolfwoods relationship, their opposing views and how that relates to the Christian term 'the bride of christ'. During this I specifically discuss a large spoiler for the series/manga, so readers beware!

I was chatting with some lovely folks on the Vashwood discord server (if you wish to join, click this link!) about Wolfwoods death, and the way it's, well, wedding themed. The wedding themes include the confetti, the way Wolfwoods passing occurs in front of a church, the ringing of the church bell, and the bottle of liquor they share is labelled 'BRIDE' with a cross on it.

All the items come together in a definite way that resembles, in some terrible fashion, the festivities for a wedding. Hell, even after Vash buries Wolfwood, he makes tons of dishes of food, and Livio and him basically have a feast, another thing one does at weddings.

The 'Bride of Christ'

What particularly caught my eye was the bottle with the word bride on it, with a cross. Multiple times within the new testament, the body of the church is referred to as the 'Bride of Christ'. As I've previously mentioned, Vash is regularly set up as a Christ-like figure; his actions and his philosophical values align with a Christian perspective, in his belief in unconditional love and forgiveness (ie, the blank ticket). As well, as that Wolfwood is a Christian preist, this literally makes him a 'bride of Christ'. In a sense, where in the story Vash is pitched as a Christ-like figure, this means that Wolfwood could be interpreted as the 'bride of Vash'. This especially so considering the contextual clues that hint towards a wedding - confetti, church, and church bells.

Acceptance of Christian philosophy

Further adding to this, is that although Wolfwood was a priest, he did not fully ascribe to Vash's view. In fact, the two of them are foils, their beliefs similar- both coming from love and a need to protect, but differing in Vash ascribing to unconditional love and forgiveness, while Wolfwood refuting that such a position can be practically taken (this is, well, I would say a simplified take on their beliefs but thats a different post for a different day). However, by this point in the story, the both of them have very deeply impacted each other. In fact, this is set almost immediately after Wolfwood saves Vash from Knives, which is the the moment where Vash openly forgives Wolfwood and Wolfwood begins his acceptance of Vash's philosophical views; in that specific moment, he accepts his own absolution (explained further in my previous post).

It is exactly in Wolfwoods fight against Chapel and Livio, that Wolfwood fully (or mostly so) accepts Vash's philosophical views, expanding to accept a blank ticket/unconditional love for others. This is seen as he repeatedly chooses not to kill Chapel's hired guns, and even sharply pleading Livio to spare one of them. Indeed, previously at Vash's request, he'll shoot to injure, but he's not really shown to be particularly worried about the bandits, versus here he is actively choosing to minimize harm; exactly like we've seen Vash do, over and over and over again throughout the series. As well, the hired guns literally try to target the orphanage when they've clearly lost, and also kill one of their own when Wolfwood brings him back, telling him that they've just upped their pay- showing that they're not particularly 'redeemable' hired guns that are likely to repent and become good people. And yet, Wolfwood still chooses to try and save them.

He also specifically goes out of his way to not kill Livio, even though killing Livio would severely even out the playing field, and Wolfwood would likely not have likely died as a result. And Wolfwood makes that decision, again and again and again, only focusing on killing Chapel, and Chapel only, since he's the one that is threatening the orphans.

While Wolfwood fights, Chapel derides him on Vash's views, and how Wolfwood has picked them up. Wolfwood, close to death, reviews his relationship with Vash and Vash's philosophy, and refutes the ideology that Chapel believes in, and that he himself has lived under, that they need to kill to survive, (or to save lives) and that Vash's belief in forgiveness and unconditional love is foolish.

It culminates in Wolfwood declaring that he believes in Vash, in his principles, and standing back up to continue to fight, having accepted Vash's Christian philosophy. Interestingly, it's also Christian leaning terminology he uses; both in that he followed Vash, much like one follows the the teachings of Christ, and that he believes in the Vash's ability to change to world with his philosophy, in the same way Christians believe in Jesus's ability to save the world through the gospel.

In summary, Wolfwood chooses to accept and even says he believes in Vash's philosophical views, thereby choosing to accept the possibility of forgiveness and unconditional love, both for himself, as is shown when he saves Vash from Knives, but also for others, and especially with Livio during the scene up to his death. This full acceptance and belief in a Christian/Vash's perspective would then also show that Wolfwood has fully accepted to be the 'bride of Christ', making him not only via contextual cues a 'bride' of Vash, but also within a Christian theological sense a bride of Vash as well.

In conclusion, (ie, TLDR) Wolfwoods death is wedding themed, with confetti, a church, church bells, and a bottle with the label BRIDE with a cross on it. The church is within the Bible called the 'bride of Christ'; as Vash is a christ-figure, and Wolfwood is a priest, this would make Wolfwood Vash's bride. As well, it is just previous to Wolfwood death scene that Wolfwood has accepted Vash's Christian philosophies, signalling his acceptance as the 'bride of Christ/Vash', further perpetuating the wedding theme.

TTLDR: Vash and Wolfwood are married yup 👍

[pancake-breakfast]

There's a lot going on throughout the whole Wolfwood-Chapel-Livio arc in Volumes 9-10 of Trigun Maximum, not the least of which is some pretty clear Biblical references and imagery. But there are some less obvious ones, too, so I'm gonna talk about one of them here and try to pull it a little closer to the surface.

This bit caught my attention in Volume 9, when Chapel has Wolfwood pinned to the ground and is reviling Vash to him, trying to tear away the hope that has only grown stronger in Wolfwood since he met Vash.

Wolfwood's not speaking out loud here, but still, his word choice seems strange. He's called Vash ignorant and an idiot, but calling him a child seems oddly out of place (especially in light of how young Wolfwood is himself).

Despite his seemingly insulting words, Wolfwood doesn't seem to intend insult here. He cares a great deal about Vash, and while he knows there's a logic to what Chapel is saying, it's Vash's "idiocy" and naiveté that Wolfwood has ultimately chosen to follow.

Then I got to thinking of another place where being called "like a child" isn't intended to be an insult.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. - Matthew 18:1-5, NSRVA Translation

It's inevitable that children would be a bit of a focus in an arc that takes place at a functioning orphanage. But the kids at Wolfwood's home orphanage aren't treated as ignorant or annoying or worthless. They're kids, yes, but they're full of infinite hope, love, and forgiveness.

At the beginning of the arc, they jump in front of Wolfwood's bike despite not recognizing him and having no way to know ahead of time that he's an ally. They're determined to help Miss Melanie and the hostages and desperate to be taken seriously. They understand the situation is bad and most likely beyond them, but they won't... can't... cower in fear and do nothing.

They are scared, but they are brave. In addition to confronting the weird stranger on a bike who is Wolfwood, one of them goes so far as to try and take on the mercenaries surrounding the orphanage himself.

It's a dumb move that nearly gets him killed, but the alternative at that time seemed to be to sit around and do nothing, so the kid decides instead to do his best.

Later, when Wolfwood is being torn apart by Chapel in front of the orphanage, Miss Melanie tries to protect the kids and save as many of them as she can, telling them all to scatter and do their best to escape. But the kids call her out on the stupidity of this suggestion.

Not only is it unlikely to work, but it practically guarantees her death, at the very least, and they can't allow that. She may be willing to sacrifice herself for them, but she's overlooked that they are just as willing to sacrifice for her.

Near the end of the story arc, Miss Melanie decides to trust them with the truth that most of them have already figured out. In defiance of Wolfwood's wishes, she tells them about his true nature, and then she presents them with a decision. They can turn their back on him if they want. After all, he looks nothing like the big brother they remember, and on top of that he's become a killer whose hands are drenched in blood. But just in case they feel differently, she's brought the bag of confetti they've been saving to use to celebrate his return... a return they had no way of knowing would ever happen.

They choose the confetti.

It didn't matter what he'd done in the past, or even what he'd done while they'd been trapped hiding in the orphanage. Their big brother Nico had home when they'd most needed him, and they were going to celebrate.

To be counted among children like these is not an insult. They are the same as Wolfwood was before Chapel took him in. They are hopeful and they care deeply about one another. They have all overcome some darkness or another, and yet at the orphanage they have not only found a family and some sense of belonging, but they have learned to turn around and extend that same love to others.

Wolfwood still has some part of that deep inside of him... and it's Vash who helps him find it again.

Vash isn't so different from these children. He hopes for better things even when he has no way of knowing. He tries to see the best in people, to give them as many chances as possible, to understand them and forgive them.

He does his best to help even when it puts him in danger because something has to be done. Often it seems all his kindness has gotten him is reviled and run out of towns and hunted for both bounty and revenge. But he keeps at it.

It's true he's lost sight of his goals here and there along the way, but at least in the part of his life that we're allowed to see, he's lucky enough to have Wolfwood to bring him back around.

In this way, they've both epitomized the verses above, both reflecting the hope and kindness that is displayed by children even when it comes at the sacrificing of their own bodies, their vengeance, and their egos. Vash has demonstrated this particular aspect of Christlike-ness for Wolfwood, and Wolfwood, in turn, grows to reflect those same traits himself.

But the Biblical parallel doesn't end there. Let me just pull up the verse immediately after the passage quoted above...

If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. - Matthew 18:7, NRSVA translation

Do we have anyone who fits this in the story? Maybe someone who preys on kids, specifically seeking out the most hopeful and protective of them so they can break them down and bend them to his will, drain them of the care they had for others, and turn the best of their traits to be nothing more than tools to be wielded for his own ends?

Anyone?

In conclusion, even God hates Chapel. Tie a giant fucking rock around this man's neck and throw him into the sea and, Biblically speaking, even that's far too good for him.

Nightow knew what he was doing.

[not-souleaterpost]

Trigun - Inspired by the movie "Wise blood"?

(maybe the book too but havent read it)

Anyways, first I thought it would just be funny to point out some surface visual references of charachters which prolly are too generic to be proof of anything.

I mean ehh thats generic enough-

Well that too-

Well the hat and crazy eyes are there

Well the last more recalls Vash's own injurys

(think there is a scene in his Eriks disguise that match more)

But ok, one could say that this is as arbitrary as any other of my posts that dont deserve to be posted - Until I saw the full movie and got that there may be a deeper and more interessting connection

So trigun is know to have atleast Christian-adjasent themes and the author, even if never or not anymore Christian, seems to have a familiarity and interest with it that goes beyond the usuall japanese "wow cool crossess" and pop kabalah stuff (like NGE and shit or persona having all those occcult demon shit)

So what does it have to do with the movie? Well it is one exploring a theme that seems to be simmilar, even if Wise Blood presents it in a more macabre, black-humor, less sentimental and uplifting way

A world without God - or better said Christ/Love/Forgivness

Triguns whole point about Vash not killing anybody IS in the end an expression of the want of the world to be able to heal, to get better, to people to connect in a true way, of going beyond tricks and self serving rational scientfic interests

Thats why Knifes is kinda a representation of cold, uncarring survival of the fittest, of evolution, of the rule of superior beings by force and cold calculation and deception.

To make a parralel to the movie, it shows a man who cant see Christ, the power of redemption of something beyond himself and his own interests and striving - even if he feels justified by partly believing the things he rejects.

But in the end without them, it becomes a self fullfiling prophecy - his "Church without Christ" - without healing of the blind and resurection, without redemption - it condems him to that, making him blind and dead, and his atempts at repenting for killing some guy for a petty reason futile - not even being able to recupareta the love he gets from a landlady.

The theme of a fake preacher is then what is reflected in Wolfwood in Trigun, who is also just a killer, trained by another one, who can in the end find redemption in death and doing the right thing, even if it has a tragedy to it.

And in a way that illuminates Vash's whole journey more, why he couldnt give up and why it was important for him to find love and not become a more suffisticated monkey in a zoo who's hand only his brother would want to shake...

And thats why Vash not killing is actually cool and good and not stupid - cause of a random movie that butchered a book that prolly was tottally different.

But why the self.depreciation? Isnt apreciating the world and creation, "art", not a dialog, a call and response of unlikely meetings?

If not: Yeah...Sorry

[eye-of-trigun]

Wolfwood's just a lost lamb of god's herd, or something, christian symbolism, and such...

(now i just sound like Wolfwood trying to do some last rites lmao)

[orcelito]

I find it funny when ppl analyze trigun thru the lens of Christian mythos and iconography bc I literally just don't notice it. "This is like such and such guy from this book of the Bible where he did this thing and THAT is what this part is saying" like. Uhm. Plants really cool? WTF can Vash actually do? What are the characters actually thinking?

Aka my lens of analysis has so much more to do with what is factually there in the story rather than what it represents. Which says a lot about me actually I think

[unfortunatelyuncreative]

I really love this analysis, though I am inclined to disagree with the last point. That being said, I may just be misunderstanding it so if anyone would like to offer clarification, I'm happy to listen

The way Im reading the scene, the wedding metaphor isn't subverted at all. The point of the Church as the Body of Christ is that all of it's members are Literally Alive in Christ, even after death. For martyrs in particular, the hallmark or completion of this "union" is their death.

Of course Vash may grieve for Wolfwood, but he isn't any less of a "heavenly bridegroom" figure here as far as I can tell for it. Moreover, it was by sticking to his highest principles (as outlined by vash) that wolfwood was able to find life after death, and remain bound to him forever - hence the wedding imagery. His death and his "marriage" are one and the same.

Just wanted to add my two cents, tho I may be restating the obvious. Ty op for the analysis!!

This is it; this is the Big 'Un that's been knocking around in my head since the bookclub's inception.

When it comes to mentions of the biblical parallels in Trigun, I've seen that Wolfwood is most frequently discussed as a Judas figure. I think it's important, though, to note that carrying out the Judas role to Vash's Jesus was a job he was ordered to take, and it's one he went through the motions of following while having the ulterior motive of killing the one who gave him the order in the first place. In fact, when Wolfwood does turn traitor, it's actually Knives and the GHG he chooses to betray. He ends up Judas-ing the guys who assigned him to the Judas mission - that's some sweet irony!

And as Wolfwood's time in the story draws to an end, he takes the path completely contrary to Judas' ignominious end by suicide. He instead takes a leap of faith and dares to place his trust in Vash's vision for humanity's future. His faith remains imperfect, but in the midst of all his doubt and uncertainty, he persists anyway.

This last stand of his becomes Wolfwood's ultimate affirmation of his devotion to Vash's ideals, and he effectively becomes a martyr, which places him far outside the image of Judas. In fact, I think that when we look back on his character arc as a whole, we can see how it more neatly lines up in trajectory with the story of another apostle: Peter.

Like Peter in the gospel narratives, Wolfwood finds it difficult to have the kind of faith that is asked of him. Vash goes into his battle with Rai Dei insisting to Wolfwood that he can finish the conflict without taking a life, but Wolfwood intervenes against Vash's wishes because he was worried about Rai Dei's next move. Peter sees Jesus walking on water and goes out to join him, but with the rough winds blowing around him, Peter becomes overwhelmed by fear and begins to sink. After these failures of faith in their respective stories, Peter and Wolfwood are then chastised by the men they follow.

Matthew 14:31 (NRSV) - Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

And it's these struggles with doubt, these moments of fear and cynicism overtaking faith that are so instrumental to the Christian perspective on salvation with its message of "You are flawed by nature, but you are loved beyond all comprehension nonetheless. Accept this love that it may save you and change you."

In Peter's case, although he is singled out multiple times for his failures (e.g. denying Jesus three times), he still holds a special place of prominence among Jesus' disciples. The 21st chapter of John features a conversation between Peter and the resurrected Jesus in which Peter affirms his love for Jesus three times (a reversal of the three times he denied Jesus), and Jesus responds by instructing Peter to care for his flock. After Jesus ascends to Heaven, Peter continues the work set out for him in building the early church until his eventual martyrdom, which, according to church tradition, occurs via upside-down crucifixion (see Caravaggio's rendition here). Interestingly, Wolfwood's martyrdom also involves lots of grievous bodily harm being dealt by crosses.

So the saint gets brought to death's doorstep, and that brings us to the infamous whiskey bottle

Others have already pointed out that "The Bride" likely refers to the Bride of Christ. This excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up the concept:

The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a personal relationship. This aspect is often expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride. The theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist. The Lord referred to himself as the "bridegroom." The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the faithful, members of his Body, as a bride "betrothed" to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him. The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.

Now Peter is of particular importance when talking about the Church as an institution, because in the Catholic tradition, Peter is believed to have been granted a distinguished position of authority as the very foundation of Jesus' church, and every Pope is considered a successor to Peter in their occupation of the Church's highest office.

So Peter = Pope = the head of the Bride of Christ. And if we take the reading of Wolfwood as a Peter analogue.... you see where we're going. The Bride of Christ has been sanctified through a powerful demonstration of sacrificial love and prepared for the wedding to the bridegroom, but right here Yasuhiro Nightow subverts the biblical metaphor to devastating effect. The wedding doesn't come to fruition, because Vash can't bring himself to step into the role of the heavenly bridegroom. In this moment, he just feels all too painfully human in his grief. Wolfwood ascends - celebrated across the sky by those he saved with his selfless love, but Vash descends - acting as an ordinary person mourning the loss of a loved one.

John 13:36 (NRSV) - Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now...."

[cryptids-and-muses]

Absolutly unhinged discussion my girlfriend and I had last night after reading this analysis post by @huginsmemory about trigun and Christianity

[needle-noggins]

clearly i'm in an analysis mood so i'll share my thoughts on the GHG scene in Trimax Volume 2, mostly Legato, that crazy son of a bitch.

First, there's something to be said about his wild Iron Lung set up. On my first read I thought it was more of a punishment from Knives for threatening Vash, but I guess it's also because his body is physically broken? And/or a way to curb his power? Either way, Legato is the definition of "jokes on you, I'm into that shit" because he's so extremely broken (in every sense of the word). There's a definite link between Legato's trauma and the fucked up little guy he is now but I don't know shit about shit so would not consider myself qualified to discuss it further. Please read madnessmadness's trigun bdsm post as a supplemental.

ok, this next panel made me gasp. It's not a needle-noggins analysis without religious symbolism, so here you go!

Vash is literally hanging upside down, arms splayed out on an upside down cross, when Legato talks about him. Like, okay pontius pilate!! I think Vash is upside down for two reasons, the obvious being that the reader can tell that Legato is talking about killing Vash (cool abstract blood splatter too, which kinda messes with the cross form and makes it less obvious) (but i see you nightow, you can't escape my catholic eyes). The second, is, well, the way that Peter was crucified - not right-side-up like good ol' Jesus. The story goes that Peter requested to be crucified upside down because he didn't deserve to die the same way as Jesus. Trigun muddles so many biblical references all at once that a direct correlation can't be made at any given time, but I think we can interpret this here as Vash being unworthy/not the savior in Legato's mind (to him that's Knives, ofc).

An upside-down crucifix now is also a satanic symbol, just like. Inverting Christianity. Obvious "these are the bad guys". But I think that's a much more common symbol in western culture than to Japanese so I'm not gonna read into that too much.

nothing to add here other than Midvalley is lowkey fine (like if Wolfwood got his shit together) and here we can see the internal conflict of the GHG. Nobody's doin' it like Legato's doin' it, and I wish Midvalley pulled that trigger (it's not his place though, but damn it sure would save Vash a lot of trouble).

Bring back Knives' bodycon bdsm dress, Stampede!!!

"engrave the futility of his cause into his every bone" jfc, Knives. I've said it earlier but Knives's attempt to show Vash "the true nature of [humanity]" backfires so hard because instead he just shows Vash the nature of his own being, the terrifying weapon that he is (cough fifth moon). Vash doesn't blame people at all for how they see him, because baby boy has absolutely zero self-esteem and far too much compassion. Meanwhile, Knives is still a proud, burnt out gifted kid who is terrified at his heart and he's going to make it everyone else's problem. Knives understands his brother so little that he doesn't see that his plan is just going to make Vash fight him harder. Knives is too blinded by his fear and disdain for humanity to even consider it. Zero compassion. Fantastic way to highlight the overarching themes of the story. (/hand-wavy "you get it, right?" motion)

Someone please get Legato a napkin and explain to him that Knives is not God. Something something horrible deeds being done in the name of God's "will"; Trimax is both showing us space Jesus as our beloved self-sacrificing protagonist while also warning us against blind faith in a vengeful God, etc etc. It's my Trigun book club analysis and I get to choose the biblical symbolism to fit the way I hate modern Christianity!

[pancake-breakfast]

I think this is more of a visual parallel than anything else, since there's nothing in this scene that explicitly calls back to the same biblical story. However, if I'm going to speculate a bit (which I am), then I've got a few potential interpretations.

First, I need to note that, traditionally, Jesus is portrayed as being on the center cross (so the one being held by the metal Razlo arm), with the "good" thief being said to be on his right and the "bad" thief on his left. Since both Raz's right and left arms are the same color and there's nothing else on this page to particularly distinguish them, I'm gonna set that aside and focus instead on the metal arm.

At first glance, one might think that arm represents Razlo himself, but TBH neither he nor Livio are really in a position of authority or honor in this scene (which would be necessary for them to hold the figurative place of Jesus Christ). Chapel brought L/R along to be a tool, and Wolfwood, who only just found out about Razlo, is only concerned about Raz because he's part of Wolfwood's little brother Crybaby Livio. So this position has to go to one of the other characters in the scene: Chapel, Wolfwood, or Vash.

One thing that often gets forgotten in tellings of the Bible story is that when they're first hung on the crosses, both thieves supposedly spit mockery at Jesus.

In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him [Jesus], saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God’s Son.’" The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way. --Matthew 27:41-44, NRSV Translation

Eventually, one of the thieves puts two and two together, and despite having hurled insults at Jesus, he has a realization about Jesus's nature and changes his mind.

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him [Jesus] and saying, "Are you not the Messiah [Savior/Christ]? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He [Jesus] replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." --Luke 23:39-43

And thus tradition holds that the soul of the thief that asked Jesus to remember him was saved because he chose, even if it was at the very last minute, to follow Jesus's ways.

All this implies that the person on the middle cross should be someone who both the people on the outside crosses initially hold a pretty low opinion of. Which means Chapel is out, since I'm pretty sure the only person in this scene who starts with a low opinion of Chapel is possibly (probably) Vash.

So that leaves Vash and Wolfwood for the Jesus position, and I think you could go either way here. Or maybe both ways.

If you have Wolfwood in the "place of honor," as it were, then the two on the outside crosses would be Livio and Razlo. Both see Wolfwood as needing to die at this point (despite Livio's prior connection to Wolfwood), and see his lack of physical prowess as part of the proof of this. He betrayed someone he shouldn't have betrayed (a big part of why Jesus was killed was various ways he'd supposedly betrayed society), and when push came to shove, Wolfwood's righteous cause didn't really seem to be doing much to keep him alive.

But then this happens.

Livio stops Razlo from doing further harm to Wolfwood and gives the justification for his actions as wanting to follow the path he sees Wolfwood following.

But Wolfwood's not following his own path. He's following Vash's. So let's talk about this as if Vash were represented by the center cross.

One of the "nice" things imagery-wise about having Vash there is, like Razlo's fake arm, Vash is distinct from anyone else who might hang beside him due to his nature as a Plant. He also comes off as a Christ-like figure in the narrative overall. (I want to emphasize Christ-like and not Christ himself; Vash is flawed and missteps and fails, and honestly probably doesn't think of himself as the savior of mankind quite the way that, say, the people from Home do.) At any rate, Vash is a very logical choice for this position.

If Vash is on the center cross, then the people on the other crosses would probably be Wolfwood and Chapel. After all, when Wolfwood first meets Vash, he also criticizes Vash's behavior in the same fashion as Chapel.

They both criticize Vash's way of life because, relative to them, Vash should be a god. The rules that supposedly apply to Vash don't apply to humans, and so the idea of Wolfwood (or Chapel or anyone, really) following them when the most likely outcome is death is ridiculous. Why choose the harder path when it's gonna get you killed?

But then, of course, Wolfwood comes around to defend Vash's way of life, even going so far as to muster some strength from his broken body to openly defy Chapel's nay-saying.

Between that and all the "bride of Christ" imagery surrounding Wolfwood's death (See @nepentheisms' post for more details on that. Sorry, nepentheisms. I might end up linking your post a lot for these breakdowns.) , it's pretty clear that, potential three-cross imagery aside, Vash is absolutely Wolfwood's Jesus, and he, like the thief on the right, has fully come around to accept that.

Before you go deciding whether it's better to have Vash or Wolfwood be the Christ figure here, let me reiterate: it could be both.

The core of Christianity, what it's supposed to be outside of in-fights about doctrine and socio-political weaponization, is people who are living their lives in a way that imitates Jesus. The thought is there were once living people who knew Jesus, and they should live like him to point others to him, and that should have a sort of ripple effect that passes along tenants of (arguably, I know) serving God by loving those who you find yourself in the company of.

While Wolfwood has been going through the motions of following Vash, it's not until volumes 9-10 that we see him actually take those tenants to heart enough to, rather than simply not kill, specifically take the path of mercy to save someone else... even though it puts his own life on the line. Vash doesn't even enter the scene until halfway through it, and his arrival is a surprise to Wolfwood. Wolfwood's choice to take this path wasn't for the sake of putting up a good face in front of Vash. He took this path because it's the path he chose for himself.

Livio sees this behavior in Wolfwood as Wolfwood and Livio/Razlo fight. Livio doesn't really know Vash, but he knows Wolfwood. The decisions Wolfwood makes, the path Wolfwood chooses to walk... these things mean something to Livio that they wouldn't mean if he were watching Vash do the same thing. He doesn't have that connection to Vash.

Wolfwood is reflecting Vash's ideals, but since Vash means nothing to Livio, Livio mistakenly credits them wholly to Wolfwood. Which would be problematic when speaking in terms of Christianity, except that Wolfwood's actions are ultimately what points Livio to Vash.

Wolfwood isn't the "Christ" image in this story, but before his part in it is done, he's reached a point that is, like Vash, "Christ-like." At the very least, he's enough of a Christ to save Livio's soul when the only other option for Livio at the time was death. So Wolfwood is Christ for Livio as Vash was Christ for Wolfwood.

Then again, I might be stretching a bit here. This is definitely a bit more speculative than some of the more straightforward Biblical imagery in the text, so make of it what you will.

Something I noticied while reading Trimax Vol 10

At one point theres the fight between Razlo, Wolfwood and Vash.

When I saw this panel it reminded me of something, Trimax has a lot of biblical imagery or references. This panel reminded me of a version of the crucifixion of Jesus where he is crucified along with two thieves. One who laments Jesus and the other who follows Jesus, when I saw this panel, the weapons look more like just crosses rather than cross shaped weapons.

So I'm wondering if this imagery is referencing that story about Jesus and the thieves and that could mean they represent Vash, Wolfwood and Razlo

[huginsmemory]

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Trigun and Christianity

Trigun and the Bride of Christ

First Meetings: Wolfwood and Vash

Wolfwood, the Symbolism of the Punisher and Tragic Narratives

Wolfwood and Vash Characterizations in Tristamp vs Trimax, and how it relates to Femininity and Yaoi Tropes (opinion piece)

Eye of Micheal and the Zia Sun symbol (informational post)

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Plot Foils: On Ace, Robin, Marineford and Enies Lobby

Gravity falls: 🌲

On ad astra per aspera

Gravity Falls and Exceptionalism

[pancake-breakfast]

Tumblr finally smacked me with the "we won't show your post to others for no reason" thing that's been going around, so here's a post I made expanding on why Wolfwood saying Vash is like a child near the end of volume 9 is likely a Biblical reference. I hope some of you find it useful.

[what-immortal-hand-or-eye]

So I had a question in relation to the Rem analysis. Was the Rem from trimax a better parent compared to the other two? I'm not like super well versed in the canon but I think she was the least evangelical and was a bit more hands on in regards to what made Vash a pacifist.

mmmmmmmm (sounds of indecision) I think that's really hard to say, especially since Stampede isn't finished yet, and Tesla didn't happen in the 98 version. I think that all 3 iterations of Rem have their strengths and weaknesses, and trying to figure out which one was the "better parent" doesn't seem like the most productive question. While each version is Rem, they're all very different, and should each be analyzed based on their specific situation.

I personally like Maximum's characterization of Rem the best, because I feel like we have the most to work with on a character level. I want to reread the chapters where she appears because there's definitely a lot going on with her, and I'd want to do a full in-depth analysis beyond "here's my spicy Trigun take".

Same with the Evangelical stuff, since it only shows up in the last episode of Stampede, and Stampede is doing a LOT with its Christian theming. More Rem analysis to come, I guess, but I'll need a minute.

[anxiety-elemental-kay]

I was thinking about this the other day, actually. (Serious Jesus fans also stay away from this post sorry.)

I got into Trigun during a time in my life when I was severely depressed, then got back into it this year with Stampede, after a long period of time where I’ve felt myself grow colder. As a story Trigun is important to me as a story of hope that doesn’t shy away from or minimize how horrible people and the world can be! So yeah I think of Vash and I want to be that kind of person, I think of the sort of person I want to be and feel like that’s achievable. And I know I’m not alone in having feelings like that! So comparing that to how people talk about Jesus is so jarring. I grew up in a secular household and as an adult I’d call myself atheist. The vast majority of my understanding of Christianity growing up came from news stories where Christians were protesting something, and they always came across as hateful to me. I’ve never read the bible, only know about it from what others have said about it, including their own interpretations. I’ve only ever known Jesus as a symbol of bigotry and exclusion. Yeah I know the story, but he’s not a person, he’s divine and greater than humanity, in a story written (allegedly) by a divine hand. A weapon wielded by people who only want to dominate others. Then there’s Trigun, and even though it features a nonhuman protagonist, it’s still an extremely human story written by a human. (Unless Nightow has been hiding something.) (I feel like there should be a word like ‘humanity’ meaning capacity for emotion and love, which still includes nonhuman entities/characters.) I’m sure there are people out there will horrible takes on Trigun, but that’s what the block function is for. It’s not a religious text people can manipulate maliciously. There’s no authority figures in my life telling me what this story means and how I should feel about it. Exactly what lessons I should take from it, and that deviation should be punished. Part of why it’s had the impact it’s had is because Trigun feels so much like a queer story, even though I doubt that was ever its intended message. Like sure it’s got problematic elements (Trigun came out in the mid 90s to late aughts so yeah....) but it feels like an invitation. It’s not creating out groups, it’s inviting everyone to be kind and empathetic, especially towards those who you think don’t deserve it, because it’s not about who deserves to be treated as human.

My train of thought is wandering off, but yeah. It’s weird to think about how Jesus as a figure inspires people in a similar way to how I look up to Vash, but they both feel so different to me. Yeah Vash is a Jesus figure, but in this way it seems to me like they have nothing to do with each other.

It's time for Weird Thoughts with WC

If you're too serious about jesus you're gonna want to skip this one

Yknow all this love for space cowboy jeesus aka our lord and savior Vash the Stampede had me thinking....this is how people feel about yknow...actual religion isn't it. Like ik I'm not gonna see him when I die lmao but knowing a character like vash exists and his love for humanity just makes me go :3 and motivates me and it makes me want to be better and enjoy life. Its wild to me because vash is definitely a jesus allegory but the allegory feels more real to me than the actual man upstairs (if there's one)

As someone who was raised catholic and decided to yeet it the moment i was like 15, I've been thinking what's stopping me from just...exchanging them; like cant i just feel for jesus the same way i feel for vash. I came to the conclusion that somehow vash feels more intimate because he has real emotions instead of being a "Have Faith In God Because He Good" machine. Like we got both jesus and vash's life stories in books but they just make me react in different ways. Even if jesus is a good guy he has been weaponized against me and who I am and other people like me for many years. He is a poor guy who gets killed but also people who like the guy want me dead because they can't read what the bible actually refers to with their stories. On the other hand because we got a clear source material and most people get the idea vash loves all humans cuz its a key detail that's hard to miss, it's hard to weaponize the little guy. Ik a few people in this fandom didn't get the memo that vash loves EVERYONE but there's always those people who are stupid. You can't put the trans babygirl against other trans people, idiot.

Idl where I was going with all that, but tldr; vash is nice and I would die for him

[flosalatus]

❌, 🌱 , 🔮

@knaivcs | Prompts I'd Like to Recive: Headcanons

-

❌ ] is there something your muse struggles with that they might never overcome? what is it? why do they have so much trouble with it?

It's hard to pin down the exact words because its a big cocktail of things that all bleed into eachother. His self worth, guilt, the desire to stick to the morals he's chosen, they all blend together and just make life a Struggle:tm:

I think if I had to narrow it down for this ask...the guilt. It's almost entirely self-imposed but he carries it none the less. Guilt for every life he fails to save or protect, taking every confrontation on his own shoulders because this or that town only ended up in trouble becuase he was there.

And he struggles so much with it because even if its something that can;t be helped, even if the blame more logically should be put on the people chasing after him, rather than his own sheer existance, he can't bring himself to see it that way.

All he knows is that danger and trouble follow him, people get involved, get hurt, and the easiest way to avoid that is not to let people near him.

So clearly, if he's the catalyst, it's all his fault, right?

🌱 ] what themes are relevant to your muse?

Oh man the amount of meta-analysis posts ive seen abt this subject on twitter.

Personally I think...I wanna narrow it down to/focus on the themes of...like...morality, choice, finding good in hopelessness, because those are what I personally see and enjoy most in Vash. There's so many, in the whole show, manga, just every medium of Trigun as a whole let alone what Vash represents, but for me?

Yeah, I think the theme of choices and morality, and moral choices, is a big one that I like to think abotu and play around with. Becuase Vash isn't 100% good and kind by sheer nature, he activly makes the choice to be how he is.

Sure it's made a little easier maybe by the fact he's an absolute sweetheart, but he's not incapable of violence. Of negitive emotions, fear and anger, lashing out. He just has a tight reign on it and choses not to. He choses to smile and let it all roll off his shoulders. Choses to be kind in the face of unending cruelty.

He chose his moral path, and sometimes he has to fight so viciously to hold onto it. He fights tooth and nail almost constantly to cling to the good in humanity, when the whole plant seems to be doing it's best to try and prove him wrong.

And that's just. Really fun and interesting to me.

🔮 ] what is your muse’s relationship with religion and spirituality? were they raised in a certain religion? have they stuck with the same set of spiritual beliefs all their life, or have they changed over time? are they settled in their spirituality now?

Just from the sheer fact that Trigun exists half way over the edge of the "being bible fanfic" cliff I wanna say he's been exposed to a decent level of christianity, but personally lands somewhere between "beleives but doesn't practice any faith" and "if god exists he hates me"

Okay but in all seriousness. Vash I think....he doesn't hate the idea of a higher being, and he's ABSOLUTELY never going to be the type of dismiss or look down on another persons religion, but he's just kind of...in a religious limbo, I guess.

I feel like, espcially after meeting Wolfwood (if we take as an example, a Wolfwood who is more religious...if dubiously)Vash has maybe sat down once or twice and tried to pray, if he's felt desperate enough, curious enough. He probbaly asked WW to teach him more about religion, too, since he probbaly got a barebones education thus far if that.

He's definitly not a practicing christian/catholic, doesn;t activly seek out god or let religion influence his life and decisions. But he can understand and even sometimes feel for himself the comofrt those kinds of people get from having a figure like God to take comfort or look for help in.

[donnedulac]

If the Buddhists and Christians join forces we might one day achieve the ultimate trigun analysis post

[swipestream]

SUPERVERISVE: “Trigun” is indeed probably the most Christian anime ever

I really didn’t know what to expect with “Trigun”.

Everybody had been recommending it to me for awhile, but I had tried the first couple of episodes already. They weren’t bad, but the show never really clicked for me. I was left there scratching my head wondering what was supposedly so special about it. I got why somebody might enjoy it in a “It’s not that great but it’s amusing” sort of way, but no more than that.

And then to be told that at its heart it was a Catholic story philosophically, thematically, and morally?

It should have been right up my alley, but I didn’t see the path from point A to point B. Still, so many people were praising it, and it had been recommended to me so many times, that I felt obligated to finish the series out. It’s not as if it was painfully bad or anything, and there must be SOMETHING to all the talk, right?

So I kept watching.

And man am I glad I did.

“Trigun” is an excellent show.

“Trigun” is the story of Vash the Stampede as told by insurance girls Meryl and Millie. Vash is a mysterious yet highly destructive drifter from the western-style planet of Gunsmoke, and Meryl and Millie have been tasked with following him around because every time he shows his face it costs their company enormous amounts of money. Vash has a 60 billion double dollar bounty on his head, but there’s something strange about him:

He’s a really, really great guy. Funny, fun, great with children, defender of the weak and helpless, and abhorrent of all killing of any kind.

So what’s with the bounty? And what’s with Vash?

And there’s your story.

“Trigun” starts off as light as a feather, even goofy, and then gets…dark. Really, really dark. Bloody deaths of beloved characters type dark.

“Trigun” is a show that is great at little, bad at some (the animation is rather weak, though I find much criticism of the dub to be unwarranted), but good at almost everything, and by the time it all ends the whole feels much greater than the sum of its parts. One thing the show is particularly good at is making you empathize with everyone, even the bit characters – nobody is acting like a jerk just to act like a jerk. If you have a giant wall up guarded by gunmen to keep out outsiders, you probably have a good reason for it and don’t just hate orphans. And if you want to kill Vash the Stampede, well, join the club.

“Trigun” is also uncompromisingly brutal when it comes to exploring its themes. Vash has taken the philosophy of “Thou shalt not kill” to the extreme, refusing to do so even in self-defense or defense of others, at least at the point of the series’ start. And we love Vash for it!

But it’s not so black and white. How many lives would Vash have saved if he’d just killed Knives? Hundreds? Thousands? And what if it really does come to protecting innocents, in that moment? Should you STILL not kill? Why not? And what does it mean for you if you do?

“Trigun” asks these questions without flinching, putting the matter before you as starkly as possible. And we never really get straight answers.

“Trigun’s” characters are rather unmemorable as a whole, with a few notable exceptions. Legato is one of the most chillingly horrifying villains I’ve ever seen, Vash himself gets a lot of rich character development, and, of course, preacher man Nicholas D. Wolfwood, the man with the most badass Cross on the planet, is the most awesome character in the whole damn show.

The man. The myth. The legend. Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Let’s talk a little more about Wolfwood, who is a fascinating character. It is interesting that Vash, “The humanoid typhoon” who doesn’t really talk about God or religion all that much, is the absolute pacifist of the group, while Wolfwood, the Priest, provides the counterargument. Wolfwood believes in a rougher world than Vash and in some ways comes from a rougher world than Vash, so he finds Vash’s no-kill policy naive, frustrating, and insulting, implying that men like him who kill to protect themselves or others are just as bad as cold-blooded murderers. It’s a legitimate grief, and the show portrays it that way. Like the best fiction neither side is shown as being exactly “right” or “wrong”. Instead, the idea is explored and examined in an intelligent and even-handed way.

There’s so much more to say about Wolfwood, who is truly a fantastic and fantastically written character, but to go deeply into what makes him so great would be to get into some really annoying spoilers, so instead I’ll leave this fantastic article out there for all of you to read when you finish the series.

The final episode – at least the second half, when the useless clip section of the episode is over – features one of the most outstanding gunfights I’ve ever seen on screen, almost completely dialogue free and brilliantly filmed. And the ending?

Well…

When I first saw it I’ll just say I was REALLY, REALLY ANGRY, though my brother pointed out some small details about the scene that helped me look at it in a new light. Still, it’s fair to say that it makes you think and stays with you a long time after it’s over.

Worth noting: “Trigun” features one of the most beautifully shot and filmed death scenes I have ever seen, and one of the saddest. I won’t say who it is who dies, but the scene is so well-done I feel that it is worth calling out specifically as being perhaps the best scene of the entire show. I don’t think I’ll need to link it – you’ll all know what I mean.

“Trigun” isn’t a masterpiece on the level of “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”, “Cowboy Bebop”, or the first half of “Death Note”. It never reaches the insanely high heights of any of those shows. Yet it’s never truly bad, even during its slow start, and it evolves into something that feels unique despite the fact that the sci-fi western is essentially its own sub-genre, with shows as brilliant as “Cowboy Bebop”, “Firefly”, and “Outlaw Star” (so I’ve been told, anyway) all fitting into that niche. Its uncompromising and unflinching nature gives it a fresh perspective on a lot of well-worn themes, and its take on Christianity feels both sympathetic yet somehow alien – like it’s being investigated by an outsider and all of its potential weaknesses are being shaken out and examined. When everything in the show’s DNA all clicks together the result is excellent comedy and compelling, and sometimes devastating, drama. While I don’t think it’s up with the top tier of shows, if somebody were to tell me it was their favorite I could definitely understand that.

Is it superversive?: Yes, fascinatingly so

Overall score: 8 of 10. Well worth your time.

(A note – after googling around while writing this article I’ve found that there is a TON of excellent “Trigun” analysis out there to read – it really is a much deeper series than you might give it credit for at first glance. Many of these essays are fascinating, and it might be worth your time just to google something like “Trigun Christianity” and look at some of them if you’re that type of guy!)

SUPERVERISVE: “Trigun” is indeed probably the most Christian anime ever published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames